Customs seizes P1.5-M hot TV sets from appliance store

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has stormed an appliance store chain in high-end malls in the cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong and seized seven units of top of the line HDTV/Sharp LED Television worth P1.5 million.

The store failed to produce proof of payment of duties and taxes, said Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.

He said the seizure was prompted by a December 18, 2012, request from Sharp Philippines director Silverio Montalbo for the BOC to conduct an investigation of the Listening in Styles stores at Shangri-La Plaza Mall and in Eastwood, Pasig City, for possible illegal importation of high-end TV sets after Sharp Philippines officials got suspicious of its TV sets on display at the Listening in Styles stores.

"Immediately, after receiving the letter from Sharp Philippines, I ordered the Bureau's Group under Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim to conduct the investigation and to undertake all appropriate actions" Biazon said.

On January 17, 2013, after weeks of surveillance and upon Biazon's issuance of the Letter of Authority (LOA) the BOC-IG operatives pounced on the Listening and Style stores and seized the imported TV sets.

The seized TV sets were one unit 90 inches HDTV, the world's largest LED Sharp Television set worth P600,000, two units 80 inches LED Sharp TV worth P300,000 each and four units 60 inches LED Sharp Television set worth P85,000. The total TV haul amounted to P1.5 million.

"The Bureau of Customs will not limit its anti-smuggling operations to the ports, we will enforce our mandate to get smugglers and smuggled goods anywhere in the Philippines" Biazon said, adding that, "And with the help of private sector, and we will succeed in minimizing, if not eradicating, smuggling."

For his part, Lim stressed that, his group is now also on the look-out for other possible illegal importations using the same scheme, even as he encouraged other business entities who may find suspicious imported products in the market also seek BOC's help.

Meanwhile, the legal counsel for Listening in Style submitted an Offer of Settlement claiming that the TV sets were sold to Listening in Style allegedly by an oversees Filipino worker. (SDR/Sunnex)